Valve has been trying to crack the living room for more than a decade, and the new Steam Machine is its best attempt yet. It's a little bit PC, a little bit console, and a lot pricy — starting at $1,049, it had a lot to live up to. The Verge’s Sean Hollister has been testing the device, and shares his findings on whether the Steam Machine can hang with PlayStation and Xbox. He also explains why, despite a never-ending list of challenges, Valve is still trying to make this device work.
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0:00 - Intro & episode overview (Steam Machine)
0:43 - 90 Seconds on The Verge (news roundup)
2:18 - Let's talk Steam Machines — Sean Hollister joins
2:24 - First games tested on the Steam Machine
3:07 - How and why the Steam Machine exists
4:30 - Surprise it actually shipped?
4:30 - The couch/console experience explained
4:52 - What is the Steam Machine for?
6:38 - Valve tried this before — what's different now?
6:50 - The one thing Valve changed (Proton/Windows games)
10:11 - Hardware specs deep dive
12:49 - First reaction to the $1,049 price
15:19 - Razors & blades business model discussion
19:01 - Out-of-box setup experience
22:19 - Size comparison (GameCube!)
23:25 - Overall takeaway & performance verdict
26:37 - Steam Machine ecosystem & OEM partnerships
29:02 - Is this just Xbox everywhere but Steam?
32:20 - Final verdict: Is it a success?
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